Gravity
by pencilledwords
Summary: No matter what he does, Daniel Grayson can't help but find himself (and his thoughts) gravitating towards Emily, now that he knows the truth about her. An alternate Season 4 beginning from 4x09. [Demily]
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: **The title Gravity is an homage to Sara Bareilles's very sad and lovely song that I absolutely love, and which to me is a pretty good fit for the way Daniel feels about Emily following Charlotte's revelation. This story basically kicks off after Ben's attempt to ask Emily out.

* * *

**"Most everything you think you know about me is nothing more than memories."**

**― Haruki Murakami, _A Wild Sheep Chase_**

**Chapter 1**

She loves the sea.

For as long as she can remember, Emily has felt an affinity with the water, a connection with it. As a child, all she knew was that swimming was one of her greatest hobbies, and that she'd loved every single summer spent in the Hamptons with her dad - practically every day had been spent playing on the beach. But now, as an adult, she can pinpoint what it is that makes her feel so at home in it, and she loves the sea even more.

She loves the vastness of the ocean: how you can swim and swim but never know all its secrets. It represents a world of endless possibilities to her; a world where she can be anyone she wants, and most importantly, be anyone other than Amanda Clarke. When she swims, everything else disappears. All she can think about is the water that surrounds her and blocks out all noise, which is a blessed relief from the chaos of her complex revenge plots and dealing with whoever it is that's in her way for the day - Tyler, Frank, Lydia, etc.

But what she loves most about the ocean is its consistency in offering her a momentary escape from her life, and all the pain and anger that comes along with it. The sea will always be there, she thinks. People, however, will not.

She thinks about Aiden and how he left her several times throughout the course of their relationship - how he left Japan without her, how he left her in that cemetery, and how he left for Bermuda. But some part of her thinks that the minute Aiden stepped back into her life by coming to the Hamptons, she'd known deep down that she still loved him. Yes, he'd chosen to leave her, and more than once, too. But Aiden always came back in the end. Despite all efforts to push him away, he always came back, always trying his best to support her revengenda.

Emily thinks about Aiden and how he is gone for good now.

Almost immediately, waves of sadness wash over her. There is no one around as Emily sits on the sand, hugging her knees to her chest. She feels relieved, almost, in the simple action of letting her tears spill over; it is, after all, exhausting having to put on a brave, tough front almost all hours of the day.

_"Being with you is the only time I've ever felt peace."_

She remembers sitting on her couch with Aiden and feeling incredibly moved by his admission. If she has ever come close to feeling peace, it was with Aiden, who understood why she needed to avenge her father and accepted her for all her flaws, not least being her tendency to close herself off from the world. She has never been so vulnerable and open as when she was with him, but still. Some days the guilt gnaws at her. Aiden deserved so much more. So did Amanda.

It is during moments like this that Emily feels regret for the path she has chosen, but she also knows that these moments are fleeting. For a long time now, revenge has felt like the only thing she knows how to do anymore, and all she has left.

_That thirst has become a part of me. I don't know who I am without it... Maybe I don't want to._

She remembers this argument with Nolan, too, and if Emily is being honest with herself, a part of her is afraid to peel away the layers she hides under, because what would she find if she did? Only emptiness, probably. In a way, taking revenge is simpler than the normal things other people do - like dating. _Revenge doesn't involve feelings, _Emily thinks to herself. _Or it shouldn't, anyway. _She almost laughs at the thought of Ben asking her out. A cop asking her out on a date, blissfully unaware of the fact that she has a man tied up and blindfolded about 30m away, give or take. Not to mention her threatening him with a red-hot poker stick.

She has no intention of killing this thug, even if he did try to abduct her father - no, of course she doesn't plan to kill him. It's simply that their lives appear to be in danger (when are they not?), and drastic times call for drastic measures.

Emily's pretty sure Nolan would most definitely _not _see it the same way. He would probably throw a fit if he found out - in fact, she can practically hear the lecture spilling out from his mouth: _Torture, Emily? Really?_

Kidnapping Charlotte was a drastic measure, too, but Nolan seemed up for that plan of action.

_Would Aiden approve, though?_ she thinks. A small voice in her head says no, but she brushes this aside. She will never know what Aiden thinks anymore, thanks to Victoria. And with that, her resolve strengthens. She will do whatever it takes to protect her father. How can she have a relationship with him if he insists on distance from her? The only logical way forward is to simply get rid of this unseen enemy.

"Emily!" a voice calls out in the near distance. "Or... Amanda? Which do you prefer, anyway?"

Recognising the voice, Emily sighs deeply, before opening her eyes to see none other than Daniel approaching her stretch of the beach. "What do you want?" she asks. _God, how many more of these conversations do I have to take? And why the hell is here at this time of night?_

"No seriously, what should I be calling you when it's just two of us?" he continues, ignoring her question as he joins her on the sand.

Emily snorts. "What makes you think there'll be a next time?"

Oddly enough, this only makes him smile. "Look, I'm not here to fight. I just want to talk." He holds up both hands in a gesture of surrender reminiscent of their previous conversation. Emily merely raises her eyebrows at him, indicating her willingness to engage. _For now, anyway._

"Who else knows who you really are, anyway? Nolan, I presume. And Ja -"

"If you're here to interrogate me, then -"

"Alright, alright," Daniel says, backing down. "That's not what I came here to ask you, anyway." He clears his throat.

_He's nervous, _she realises, amused. She is suddenly reminded of their second meeting at the polo club; he'd hesitated somewhat before asking her out on a date.

"When we were in the elevator, you said... You said that there was a time when the feelings were real. If I hadn't sided with my father," he asks, pausing, "would we - could we have had a proper relationship?"

Emily frowns, wondering where on earth he is going with this. She feels his eyes on her as he waits for an answer, and cannot help but think that this conversation is sure to end badly, no matter what each of them says. No matter how much each of them hopes it won't.

"That _is _what I said the first time," she replies, a slight edge to her tone. "And anyway, what does it matter now? You _did _choose your father. There's nothing left to be said."

"What if I said I regret those decisions now?" he asks, and yes, she senses a hint of remorse in his voice, but no amount of regret can change the past.

"Then I'd say good for you, Daniel," says Emily, with barely concealed sarcasm. "Look, it's been a long day, and I'd really like to end this conversation before it takes a turn for the worse. Goodnight."

She gets up, tapping his back once as she leaves, but has taken barely ten steps towards the manor when she hears Daniel call out once more.

"Emily!"

Perhaps it is cold of her, but she keeps walking anyway. She is in no mood for a heart-to-heart, and especially not one with Daniel Grayson.

"Emily, wait. Emily!" he calls out. And then, "Amanda!"

She freezes in her tracks, and he knows he has gotten to her. Seconds, and then Emily is turning around, taking large strides towards him that convey fury with every step.

"Don't," she breathes, "call me that." Their noses almost touching, he can see that she is shaking slightly, anger etched in her every fibre of her body. In a twisted way, he is both fascinated yet slightly frightened by this woman, this Emily Thorne he has never seen before. This, he supposes, is the Amanda side to her, a side she'd never allowed herself to show him before. He finds it both funny yet sad that they have been on countless dates, made love God knows how many times, and been engaged twice (he doesn't count the marriage, because, well, of obvious reasons), but he has never actually known her until the events of these past few days. Until Charlotte had told him the truth.

It seems like several long minutes before Emily backs away from him, a tone of warning in her voice as she says icily, "You lost the right to call me that when you shot me. _Twice_."

Daniel had expected this from her, and he can't blame her for it (not fully, anyway). But his self-preservation instincts soon kick in (_Gee, where on earth did I get that from? _he thinks sarcastically) and he feels the need to plead his case.

"I'd just found out that Sara had tried to kill herself, and that you'd lied to me about the baby," he argues. "I was drunk and upset, and I know it's no excuse, but you have to understand how angry and betrayed I was. I was in love with you! God, I loved you so much, only to find out you'd been playing me all along!"

"Yes, a love so strong that you cheated on me with Sara weeks before our wedding," Emily laughs scornfully. "You strayed even before you found out about the fake pregnancy, Daniel, and we both know about Conrad inducting you into the little Grayson love shack. Tell me again how strong your love for me was?" She should walk away from this toxic relationship between them, walk away and etch into her brain the fact that she can never start a family of her own because of this man. But she stays where she is, if only to see what other excuses Daniel will come up with now.

"First of all, I told you, I didn't sleep with her - at least not before the wedding. And second of all, you told me I was going to be a father, that we were about to start a family together, and then you took that all away. Do you have any idea what that did to me? I was ready to start a new life with you, raise a child the right -"

"The right way? Like your father did with you, you mean?"

Daniel is silent now, at a loss for words, and even Emily can't help but feel like she might have taken it too far this time around.

"I'm not doing this with you," she says finally, after a tense silence that seems to stretch on for miles. She turns to leave once more, no hesitation as she makes her way home. There is complete silence when she leaves this time, the only sound that of the waves crashing on the shore.

* * *

_Aiden? Aiden, are you okay?_

_The second Emily sees his face, with his eyes staring blankly and his mouth agape, she knows there is something wrong, and even as she pleads with him to wake up, she knows she has lost him for good. Gripping his jacket tightly, Emily shakes him, touches his face - anything to get him to come back to her. God, no, this can't be real. This can't be happening._

_Aiden, wake up. Aiden, wake up!_

_The silence is chilling._

_"I see you received my gift."_

_Emily looks up to see Victoria standing in the doorway of her beach house, a slight smile playing on her lips. Hatred immediately burns every inch of her being at the sight of this woman who has ruined her life over and over again. She stands up to face her head on, a part of her simply itching to inflict some kind of bodily harm, but before she can act on this impulse Victoria lifts up a shotgun to point it directly at her._

_"What are you waiting for?" Emily asks, completely unafraid. "Do it. Shoot, and end this whole thing right now." She welcomes death now - at least she can be reunited with her father and Aiden._

_Victoria smiles, her finger poised to pull the trigger. But the second Emily blinks, she finds herself staring down a different gun, with a different person at the end of it. Victoria is gone now, replaced by Daniel, whose hand is on her gun._

_"You ruined my life. You manipulated me to get to my family," he says steadily. In fact, Daniel doesn't look drunk at all, not like he was on their wedding night, and somehow this makes Emily feel even worse. She makes to explain herself._

_"Daniel -"_

_He pulls the trigger._

Emily wakes up with a start.

_Just a dream, _she thinks, then takes several deep breaths to calm herself down and wipes the tears on her face. _My father's alive. But Aiden..._

Emily gets out of bed, checking her bedside clock. 4.32. It was nearly 2 in the morning when she'd finally settled into bed in Thorne Manor, as Nolan affectionately calls it nowadays, and she'd been left alone in this tremendously huge house that will never be home (the irony that 20 000 square feet can make you feel claustrophobic is not lost on her). There is no way in hell she'll be able to sleep now, not after a dream like that, so she decides she can probably clock some hours working out, maybe go for a swim - definitely a more productive use of her time than thinking about Aiden's death and her disastrous wedding. Besides, she _has _gotten some intel from her prisoner, _so now all that's left is to figure out if Alvarez is the double agent, _she thinks. _First stop of the day: Jack. Huh. It really is useful having a cop for a friend._

* * *

SECURITY CAMERAS OFFLINE.

_I know you better than anybody, Ems, _Nolan thinks. _So what on earth are you up to?_

When he first gets to Thorne Manor he scours the foyer, the study that used to belong to Conrad, the upstairs bedrooms... Nothing. Emily must be off somewhere carrying out her revenge-y things. _That leaves... the pool house._

So when Nolan opens a door to what used to be a wardrobe and finds a man handcuffed to the railing, he is both in disbelief yet completely unsurprised, because he is well aware of the fact that when it comes to David, Emily knows no boundaries. But still. When he signed up for this little Revenge Club he never, in his right mind, expected to be involved in such questionable activities. Not to mention illegal. Nolan sighs, knowing full well what he's about to do will inevitably piss Em off.

_Listen, I know I'm not in a position to ask for a favour -_

_I will _always_ watch out for Emily. Don't worry._

Several hours later Nolan sits in his house - Em's prisoner having been dealt with and released - still trying to wrap his head around what he's just witnessed. There is no doubt in his mind that he loves Emily, and will do whatever it takes to protect her because she is his family, but jeez, sometimes he feels he's bitten off more than he can chew. He thinks of the innocent little girl that David described to him 18 years ago, and then he thinks about the instruments of torture he found in the manor's pool house earlier today. He can't reconcile the two images of her, honestly.

As if right on cue, he hears footsteps coming from outside his doorstep, and thinks, _Alright, here we go. 3, 2, 1..._

"Found this in my pool house," says Emily, everything about her body language tense as she places his button on the counter top. "Where is he, Nolan?"

"You mean the guy you had strung up like a roast pig in a luau? I set him free. Torture, Emily? Really?" he asks her disbelievingly. "How far were you gonna go?"

"You had no right! My father was attacked twice; if that thug comes back and hurts him, it's on _your _hands."

"Trust me: he won't. I'm worried about you, Emily, and so is David. He came by the club today and apologised."

"Oh, well I'm glad your relationship with my father's back on track; I'm still fighting for mine!" says Emily, evidently somewhat bitter at this revelation.

"And he's fighting for you! He's trying to protect you."

She continues as though she hasn't heard him. "The second attacker was found at the police station hanged; I believe that someone who had the power to get close murdered him, someone like Alvarez. We can't just leave this alone!"

"I am sorry, Ems. I'm not helping you," Nolan replies firmly. "And neither will anyone else who knows what you're up to." He would do anything for her and she knows it, but he also knows that he needs to set healthy boundaries sometimes - like refusing to harbour capital murderers. And refusing to allow his best friend to physically torture a man in her pool house. What did he say to David today? "She told me she would stay out of it, so you have to trust her. She will."

_What on earth was I thinking?_

* * *

Daniel sits on his bar stool, alternating between staring blankly into space and thinking about Margaux. Occasionally he finds his thoughts also drifting towards Emily, namely the last three conversations they've had recently. He will freely admit to himself that Charlotte's revelation has piqued his curiosity about his ex-wife (who was already very mysterious to him throughout their time together) once more. For the past year his impression of her was that of a grifter who'd schemed and manipulated her way into marrying him, all for the money and status, but now... Damn, he has never felt so blindsided in his life.

_Emily isn't who she says she is... Daniel, Emily is Amanda Clarke._

_What?_

After the initial shock had worn off, he'd found himself thinking about everything that had transpired between him and Emily - from their first meeting at the yacht party, to the proposal, to their wedding... Had it all really been a lie? _Emily Thorne is Amanda Clarke_. Her motivation had not been money and status after all, but revenge. The more he thought about it, the more it all made sense: why she'd always been so closed off when it came to talking about her family, the change in demeanour after his Nightline interview, her disgust when he covered up Conrad's role in the car crash that killed Father Paul... He could go on and on with this list.

_I feel like an idiot, _Daniel thinks sourly.

But then again, once the initial anger at being lied to had worn off, he found himself feeling less antagonistic and more... sympathetic.

David Clarke had been innocent, and his parents had taken everything away from him, including his little girl. To think of Amanda being ripped away from her father at the age of 9... To think that it was Emily who'd suffered that fate. It was no wonder she'd come back wanting to avenge him.

Daniel downs the rest of his drink in one gulp, then orders another.

"Is, uh, Nolan in his office yet?"

There is no mistaking the voice of someone whom you were intimately close to for 2 years, and Daniel quickly spots his ex-wife just a few tables away, sitting on a bar stool and talking to one of the club's staff.

"No, but he said he'd back by last call to sort out my payroll."

"Thanks," she replies, checking her phone.

It takes Daniel all of 3 seconds to impulsively decide he wants to speak to Emily again, even after the semi-disaster of their last conversation barely 10 hours ago. He walks over, casually tossing his jacket onto the counter.

"What are you doing here?" she immediately asks, looking at him with a mixture of annoyance and resignation.

"Trying to woo back an old client, but since he's not around, I'm just here drinking to my sad life. And to our parents, whom I'm starting to believe are actually in love," he replies, half-joking, half-serious.

"Go away, Daniel," she says in a half-hearted attempt at making him leave. He ignores this.

It might be the alcohol in his bloodstream talking, but as Daniel looks his ex-wife up and down he can't help but notice how pretty she looks - if pretty is even an appropriate word for Emily. Cheesy as it sounds, she has always been more than just pretty to him. When they'd first met, he saw her as beautiful, independent, smart. She was magnetic.

"You look good," he blurts out, and is immediately greeted with a look of disbelief from her that says "Are you actually saying this to me right now?" _Great, _he thinks. _Stupid alcohol talking, now there's a need for damage control. _"You out on a date? Want me to call the poor guy and read him his last rites?" _Yup, much better._

"You know, I'm really not in the mood to be doing whatever it is we've been doing lately, so -"

"What, having honest conversations probably for the first time ever? Yeah, it sucks." Emily says nothing, merely takes a sip of her drink. "You know, I'm starting to realise why we didn't work. We're the same person."

She laughs derisively.

"Yeah, we're stubborn as hell, and we use people without giving a damn about who gets hurt in the process."

"That is not who I am."

"Oh, but it is. I see you, Emily," Daniel says, smiling and feeling pretty pleased with himself. "I see you." Again she says nothing, merely raises an eyebrow at his remark while he ploughs on with this one-way conversation.

"So tell me, who you hurting these days? Alright, I'll go first. Margaux, the best woman I've been with in years - no offence - wants nothing more to do with me because I'm an ass." He doesn't know why he's saying all these things, and least of all why he's saying them to his ex-wife. _Probably the alcohol. Blame it all on the alcohol._

"Well, we're not friends, Daniel, so I'm not gonna prop you up and tell you to go fight for Margaux; you don't fight for anything." He pauses at this statement, surprised to find himself hurt by it.

"Huh. Ouch."

"Yeah. Well, I see you, too," she says matter-of-factly, before getting up to leave.

"Hey Em." He grabs her elbow, not even sure why he has to tell her what he's about to say, but he does anyway. "You really do look pretty tonight," he says honestly, and is met by another raised eyebrow. "And I think that means you're up to something. I just hope the poor guy isn't wearing his heart on his sleeve, because trust me... you'll use it." _I should know._

When she leaves, he finishes the rest of his drink in one.

* * *

**A/N: This is my very first piece of work _ever, _so it goes without saying that reviews and constructive criticism will be very, very appreciated! Reviews are to me what Emily is to Daniel - I love them and can never get enough** (｡◕ ∀ ◕｡)


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: **Oh my gosh, thank you so so much for all your lovely reviews and follows! To know that people actually want to read this is... ? There are no words to describe it. Here's Chapter 2!

* * *

**"A clear conscience is the sure sign of a bad memory."**

**\- Mark Twain**

**Chapter 2**

The first thing Daniel notices when he wakes from sleep is a dull, throbbing sensation at the back of his head, a churning sensation in his stomach, and the fact that his throat feels like it might be on fire.

He groans, rubbing his eyes tiredly and attempting to sit up in a bed that has felt awfully empty and cold these past few days. As he gradually returns to the world of the living, the events of last night come back to him: a visit from his mother, yet another interesting, honest conversation with Emily, going over to Margaux's office, and…

_Right, _he thinks.

_I deserve a better answer. Why?_

_Because I'm pregnant._

He remembers asking Margaux the essential questions, so to speak, like "when did you find out?" and "how many weeks?", both of which she'd answered calmly enough. But it wasn't long before she'd asked him, again, to leave, because _I've had a long day, Daniel, and I don't think now's the best time for us to discuss this. _Being fairly stunned by her revelation and needing time to process the information, Daniel had agreed; first of all, both of their emotions were running high; second of all, he needed to sit down and think; and third of all, yes, he was drunk.

Daniel is not ready to be a father.

For all his talk of wanting to raise a family the right way (i.e. nothing like his parents have done with him and Charlotte), deep down he knows that in the past 3 years, he has only become less sure he even possesses the capability to do it.

_I walked away from Sara in that accident. I sided with Dad when Mom gave me the evidence... And I shot my ex-wife. If anything, I've just proven that the baby will probably be better off being raised by Margaux alone._

Daniel shakes his head. Thinking about all this damning evidence only makes him feel even more guilty and angry than before.

_I need a drink, _he thinks. _As Dad used to say, it's 5pm somewhere in the world, right? _His feet plod over to the bar in his room so naturally, it's practically muscle memory by now.

_Let me ask you something: when's the last time you woke up craving a drink?_

_Uhh... never?_

_That's because despite what mummy and daddy say, you're not an alcoholic. You're just a guy that likes to have a good time. And now you're unattached again, so... (Tyler clinks two glasses together) bottoms up._

The fact is that there are lots of things Daniel isn't sure of anymore, and if he could make a list of it, it would be a pretty long list. Whether or not he's capable of feeling anything real anymore, how he feels about Margaux being pregnant, his relationship with alcohol...

_At this point, I can't even remember the last time I was completely sober, for god's sake. __So you were probably wrong about that, Ty, I _am _an alcoholic. But you were right about Emily after all._

Emily.

Daniel immediately puts down the glass of whiskey he'd been meaning to drink.

If he's being honest with himself, he knows deep down that these past few conversations with Em have been an attempt to reconnect with her in some way. It isn't that he wants to get back together with her (_Besides, I'm with Margaux now, _he thinks. _Sort of_), but that there is so much history between them and yet no real closure to any of it. From the moment Charlotte had told him the truth, he'd had a million questions he wanted to ask her, like "How long have you been planning all of this?" And the personal ones, like "Why didn't you tell me who you were?" and "Did you ever think you might be in love with me?"

_We could have been so much more, Em, _Daniel thinks to himself. _There is so much I want to say to you, so much I want to know._

But Margaux is pregnant, something Em will never be thanks to him, and if he knows Emily at all he knows that this news will probably rekindle her hatred of him. At this thought the golden liquid in his glass seems to glimmer to him temptingly once more, but Daniel stops himself, sighing heavily. He needs to sort things out with Margaux, and he needs to be sober to do it.

* * *

Nolan is in the midst of digging into Agent Taylor's background as requested by Emily when he hears his front door open and looks up to see the woman herself.

"Hey," he greets her.

"Hey."

"So, uh, I'm running Kate's prints through a data mining program. If she's hiding something, I'll find it," Nolan assures her. "But it's gonna take a while."

"What about the feed from the room? Anything interesting?"

He points to the display monitor in his kitchen, where a video feed of Agent Taylor's hotel room is unfolding live. "For starters, she's a total slob, but I did find something useful while you were engaged in your _tête_-à-Jack."

Emily moves closer to the monitor, all the better to observe her next potential target.

"She's just texting someone," she says after a while, seeing nothing to confirm her theories about Jack's new... friend.

"Uhhuh. On a phone that's a direct violation of anti-corruption protocol," Nolan replies smugly. "All agents were supposed to register their secondary phones, but Kate never did. She's on a Satcom with a digital scrambler, which is kind of ideal for staying in touch with paranoid shut-ins."

Intrigued, Emily turns to face him. Nolan can practically see the cogs in her brain turning as she considers this piece of information.

"If I get the phone, can you trace the text?" she asks.

He scoffs. "Uh, Ems, this is your tech genius best friend extraordinaire you're talking to. You can pinpoint Malcolm Black to a ten-foot radius."

Emily smirks, pleased to know that her plans can proceed. "Couldn't have done it without you."

"I know."

"Look, I don't say it often, because I'm not very good at expressing myself, but... thank you, Nolan," she tells him. "Not just for this, but... for - for everything."

Somewhat surprised, Nolan practically beams at her because coming from Emily, a statement like this is practically an "I love you".

"Did Jack RSVP to your party?" she asks then, deliberately changing the subject.

"He did. Plus one. But Ems, don't even think about turning my new club into your personal battlefield. I just paid for new uniforms!"

She gives him a look as she makes to leave. "If everything goes right, Kate won't even know I'm onto her."

"When does anything ever go right for the host of a Hamptons party?" Nolan points out before muttering to himself, "With you on the guest list?"

"I heard that," she calls out before closing the door behind her.

He nearly spits out his water. _Oops. _

"Course you did," Nolan says to no one in particular, smiling.

* * *

"See normally I research all of my targets, but there's nothing on Malcolm."

Emily turns to face Kate, who stands on the opposite side of Conrad's old desk.

"You think secrets make him untouchable," says Kate, not bothering to mask her curiosity in the manor as she takes a look around the study. "But I know how to draw him out into the open. You just need to use the right bait: money. Specifically, the fortune your father took from him."

At this, Emily pauses. _What money?_

"Oh, he never told you," Kate remarks, realising that this information is new to her. "Before David escaped, he drained most of Malcolm's accounts and funnelled the money into charities across the world. Was his way of making amends for the things he'd done."

Emily watches as Agent Taylor strolls over to the window, pulling back the curtain and glancing outside. _What, checking for potential witnesses? _she thinks. From the second she'd found out that her father's second attacker had hung himself, she'd been suspicious - men like that did not commit suicide over a botched mission. And from the moment Nolan and her had seen Kate with the Satcom phone, she'd known her hunch had been right after all. But Emily is patient and bides her time with this target, just as she has for all of her previous ones.

"Thing is, Malcolm never believed David gave the money away."

"So he sent you here to find it," Emily says, folding her arms.

"Lucky for us, you have enough to make him think I did. If you wire the cash into an account only he can access -"

"Then we take him down once he goes to claim it," Emily finishes her sentence, going along with the act both of them are putting up. "It's a good plan."

Kate nods.

_I bet you think you've fooled me like you fooled Jack, haven't you? _Emily thinks. _Well. Now comes the fun part._

"I guess my only question is... when were you planning on killing me?" she asks serenely, a small smile playing on her lips.

To say that Kate looks surprised seems an understatement, but she clearly also recovers quickly, casually pulling out her gun as she replies, "Well, I was planning on _after_ we got your money, but... plans change."

Emily merely continues smiling, completely unfazed by the fact that she's staring down the barrel of a gun. Again. _How many times is it now? Three? Four?_

"So the mother story was a lie."

"Barely. She _is_ with Malcolm, but that's because he's my father," says Kate lightly, evidently confident she has the upper hand in this situation.

"Secret daughter in the FBI, that's an excellent insurance policy," Emily replies, sounding impressed. Anyone watching this conversation would think they were simply colleagues trading secrets on How to Infiltrate An Organisation, or How to Switch Your Identity.

Kate shakes her head. "God, I have to know. What tipped you off?"

"Oh, I never believed you. I just wanted to get you away from innocent civilians and in front of my security cameras."

The look of confusion and slight panic on Agent Taylor's face as she glances around the room, searching for said cameras, is enough to put a smug smile on Emily's face. _Yup, this is the fun part._

"Oh don't worry, you won't see them. One of the many perks of having a genius as a best friend," she says, finding it difficult to keep a note of glee from her voice. "Your cover is blown."

"Well. I'll just have to leak the drives before I go, then." She positions the gun to aim a direct shot at her target, then pulls the trigger unflinchingly.

_Click._

"Oops," says Emily, pulling out the gun's missing magazine from her pocket, while the expression on Kate's face changes from one of surprise to one of rage. "Guess you didn't notice this time either."

The second Kate throws her gun at her head, Emily's instinct kicks in, and she ducks the offending weapon. It all seems a blur to her as she lets her fight skills take over the situation (years of training under Takeda weren't for nothing) and it isn't long before she finds herself throwing Kate against the counter, breaking a vase in the process. She was wrong after all - bragging about having the upper hand _wasn't _the best part; this is.

* * *

Daniel puts down the phone, a smile lingering on his face as he thinks about the prospect of him and Margaux resolving their issues, at the fact that they're about to start a family together.

_I'm going to be a father, _he thinks. _I'm going to be a father._

Repeating this statement over and over doesn't make it any easier for him to wrap his head around it, because everything about it still scares him, not least being the fear of turning into his father. But he feels good about his life now. Things are finally beginning to look up, he's going to change, he's going to start a new life with Margaux.

Daniel looks up then from his leisurely stroll on the beach to glance up at his old house, which for the better part of the last few years has only represented bitterness and resentment for him.

_Grayson Manor. Except now it should probably be Thorne Manor, or whatever it is Emily's named it._

He should be on his way to his girlfriend right now, maybe discussing baby plans and getting excited about their future together, but Daniel finds himself rooted where he is and staring up at his ex-wife's current residence.

_Your whole relationship is built on lies, and trust me, they'll come out._

It strikes him now that Margaux had doubts about their future even without the knowledge of his biggest indiscretion... if indiscretion is an appropriate word to describe him shooting his wife on their wedding night.

_How can I teach my child to be better than me when his mother doesn't even know half the sins I've committed?_

* * *

**Birth Record found**

**Birth name:  
****Black, Katherine**

**Father:  
****Black, Malcolm**

He's running the fastest he has ever run in his life. It doesn't faze him that his lungs feel like they might collapse, or that his chest hurts because his heart's pumping so quickly, none of it matters.

All Jack can think is, _please don't let me be too late._

* * *

Daniel finds himself moving towards Em's new place, the thought of speaking (A_pologising? _he muses) to his ex-wife creating all sorts of knots in his stomach even as the debate on whether or not to do it continues to rage on in his mind.

See the thing is, in every occasion where he's felt angry at her, he's always been angrier at himself. And when he hated her for lying to him about the baby, he'd hated himself even more for shooting her in cold blood. Why? Because in all of those instances, he'd played a role in them.

_I sided with Dad and inadvertently chose his life of lies over Emily, _he thinks_. And while I hated her when she was recovering at the manor, I hated myself more for what I did._

Daniel is in the midst of these thoughts when he hears what sounds like glass breaking from his old house.

_What the hell?_

In a matter of minutes he's in the compound and jumping over the balcony to investigate the source of the noise. And when he looks through a broken glass door to see Emily crawling on the floor, his instinct kicks in.

"Emily!"

Daniel jumps through the broken door, his heart suddenly pounding as he tries his best to help her up.

"What happened to you?" he asks urgently.

"Get out of here! _Run!_"

"Here, come on. Come on -"

When he turns around at the sound of footsteps to find a gun pointed in his direction, it's all he can do to shield Emily from it.

"_No!_"

* * *

_No, _she thinks, when she realises he is losing consciousness. _No, no, no._

Emily cradles Daniel's head, her hands shaking as she places them on his cheeks. Somewhere in the background, she hears the sound of a voice calling for an ambulance and thinks, _Hurry up, just get here in time, please just get here in time._

"Jack, hand me your coat," she orders, her voice slightly unsteady. He complies readily, and then Emily is using it to push down on Daniel's open wounds with her uninjured hand. _Direct pressure, isn't that what they say? _

"Stay with me, Daniel," she tells him, in a tone that is half-commanding yet half-pleading at the same time. _What's taking them so long? _she wants to scream; she considers driving him to the hospital herself, but that would be stupid, no, it would be dangerous, it could aggravate his injuries -

"_Daniel!_"

Victoria's scream reverberates through the air, but Emily barely hears her, not even when she stands mere feet away and orders her to get away from her son.

"Don't," Emily warns her. "I don't want to make it worse."

"Where's the ambulance? What's taking so long?" Victoria asks, her voice breaking.

There is silence for several more moments from everyone in the room as Emily continues to attempt first aid, but it isn't long before the EMTs arrive soon after, gingerly extracting Daniel from her lap and moving him onto the stretcher. She moves to follow.

"What do you think you're doing?"

"I'm going with him."

"Like hell you are," Victoria practically spits. "I am his mother, _I'm _going with him. Stay away from my son, Emily, so help me god."

There is no doubt that they can continue this argument, or perhaps she can insist on getting into the ambulance, maybe push Victoria aside... _but time is wasting, _she thinks, _and all I want is for Daniel to make it through this._

Emily watches as the ambulance drives away.

* * *

**A/N: **I do apologise for how long it took me to get this second one up + the fact that there isn't much interaction between Daniel &amp; Emily this time around. :c Thanks again for all your support &amp; constructive criticism - I am definitely open to listening to feedback so I can continue to improve! Again, reviews are much appreciated; they are to me what Amanda is to David, and vice versa (｡◕ ∀ ◕｡)


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: **I'll never get tired of saying this: thank you so much for your lovely reviews, follows, and favourites! I'm sending you all lots of love. Here's Chapter 3, where we pick up right where we left off - with Daniel whisked off to the hospital and everyone else having to deal with the aftermath. Yikes.

* * *

"**No one blames her."****  
****"That never matters," said Alec. "Not when you blame yourself."  
**

**―****Cassandra Clare****, **_**City of Lost Souls**_

**Chapter 3**

"Amanda, are you hurt? What happened?"

Emily tears her gaze away from the front door, through which Daniel has just disappeared on a stretcher, and turns to her father. Still slightly shaken, it takes her a while to even remember that her arm is injured; the pain comes back to her in full force the second she moves.

She winces slightly as she walks towards David, instructing him, "Hold my hand. Don't let go." He complies, albeit confused, and with a resounding crack, Emily forces her dislocated shoulder back into place.

Jack, seeing this, looks horrified as he tells her, "Please tell me you're going to get that checked out when the medics arrive." She ignores this.

"We need to think of a cover story," Emily says, already back to business and thinking of their next move. With her right arm supporting her left, she limps back into the living room, both men trailing her. "Ideally, I'd get rid of Kate's body to erase any of her involvement, but I don't think we have enough time for that. And if -" Emily swallows "- Daniel survives, his testimony could ruin everything."

"I don't understand. She's not an FBI agent?" asks David.

Jack begins to explain, "She was a real FBI agent -"

"Who was also moonlighting for Malcolm Black," Emily cuts in from her position, leaning against the back of the sofa. At this revelation, David looks at her accusingly.

"You were supposed to stay out of this."

"And you're missing the point. She wasn't just working for him, she was his _daughter._"

Shock colours David's face and he turns to Jack for confirmation. He nods.

"She knew who you were?" asks David, turning back to Emily.

"I don't know how, but she did," she replies. "She wanted the money that you took; she was coming for you next."

A tense silence fills the room at this point, broken only by the sound of a phone vibrating: Kate's. The three of them exchange glances as Jack squats to pick it up, reading the text message aloud.

"Expected to hear from you. Where are you? Check in now or I get involved," he reads.

David begins to pace the room agitatedly. "You've no idea what you've just done."

"What I've done?" asks Emily, in disbelief. Is her father really about to blame this on her? "She - she tried to kill me!"

"She did kill you. She killed all of us, you just don't know it yet," David replies, his tone harsh. "You know what this man's capable of? Years ago his nephew was in a car accident. He's crippled. A week later the drunk driver disappeared, along with his wife, his parents, his children and his brother. Their bodies were found in a hunting shack; they'd been tortured for 6 weeks. If he finds out that you killed his daughter -"

"That was me," Jack interrupts, his voice low.

"Doesn't matter; he'll bury us all."

"Then we'll have to make sure he doesn't find out," says Jack, but Emily shakes her head.

"There isn't enough time," she says.

David nods. "She's right. The cops will be here soon, I called them the second I heard the gunshots."

"Well then, why not tell the truth for once?" asks Jack, sounding just slightly exasperated. "Kate shot Daniel, Emily's just another victim in this. Come clean about Malcolm, let the cops take care of it -"

"If Kate could seamlessly infiltrate the FBI, who's to say there aren't more of them in there? Malcolm has the feds in his pocket," replies David, who, too, sounds frustrated now. "Even the people in your own department can't be trusted."

Caught up in their discussion, neither of them notices that Emily has moved from her position and now kneels at the spot where Daniel lay wounded not 10 minutes ago, having noticed a folded piece of paper left abandoned on the floor.

_It must be the paper he was holding, _she thinks, picking it up and seeing the dried blood on it. She is on the verge of unfolding it when the distant sound of sirens fills the air, silencing all three of them. Emily pockets the paper wordlessly and stands up just as Southampton PD officers enter, Ben at the forefront.

Jack, David and Emily exchange glances; the time for discussion has run out.

* * *

"Are you okay to continue, Ms Thorne? You seem -"

"I'm - I'm okay." Emily nods, confirming her wish to continue with the police questioning as she holds an ice pack to her shoulder. She glances up at Jack and they share a knowing look between them.

"So you were home from the party maybe an hour when Agent Taylor knocked on your door?"

"Yes. I was surprised to see her, but I invited her in. We sat down, talked for a while, but then..." Emily hesitates. "She was asking me lots of personal questions about Jack, like how long I'd known him, and whether there was anything going on between us."

"You said that -" The detective flips to refer to a page in her notepad "- things started getting heated. Is that right?"

Emily nods. "I told her that Jack and I were just friends, but she didn't seem to believe me. She threatened to hurt me, and I - I was scared. I asked her to leave, but she refused."

"Which is when you called Officer Porter? Asked him to come over?"

"Yes, I thought he might be able to resolve whatever issues she had with me," Emily lies.

"But I didn't make it here in time," says Jack. "I heard shots just as I walked through the door, and I saw Kate's gun pointed at Emily. I shot her on instinct." He falters slightly on his last few words, something that doesn't escape Emily's notice.

The detective scribbles further in her notepad before directing her next question at Emily. "How many times did you cross paths with Agent Taylor?"

"We weren't formally introduced until tonight, at the party," says Emily. "We met twice before, fleetingly, at the police station, then at the hospital, when I went to visit Victoria."

"Your ex-mother-in-law."

"Yes, a few weeks ago."

"And you said that Mr Grayson put himself between you and Agent Taylor when she threatened to shoot you."

Emily, who has thus far been answering questions in a more or less perfunctory manner, now pauses to digest the impact of this statement.

"He came in through the broken door. I told him to run, but he... he wouldn't listen," says Emily, she, too, faltering on her last few words. She can feel Jack and the detective's eyes on her, but at this point she couldn't care less.

"With all due respect, Detective, I think it's best that Emily take a break," says Jack, interrupting the investigation. "She's been through a lot tonight."

Emily opens her mouth to protest, willing to continue answering questions and get the entire thing over and done with as quickly as possible, but Jack insists, "She needs medical attention. And she's a stubborn one, so I really should insist for her own good."

"That's fine with me," says Detective Adams, nodding. "We might even want to break for the night and continue tomorrow instead, in which case I'll get Officer Hunter to let you know. Get some rest, Ms Thorne."

The minute they're left alone, Jack says, "I'm going to ask the EMTs if they can get you anything for your arm."

Emily shakes her head. "No, I don't need anything."

He stares at her, on the verge of giving her one of his looks of disbelief. "Right. Why would you, after you've gone over a rail, dislocated your shoulder and god knows what else?" Jack shakes his head slightly before leaving her to speak to the paramedics, and Emily is left to ponder how much longer this night will be.

* * *

"Hey," says Ben, walking over to where Emily is sitting, flanked by Jack and David standing on either side. "Just wanted to let you know that the detectives are done with you for now."

"They don't have to be -" Emily feels rather than sees Jack shaking his head beside her "- I can keep going, if it will help."

"No. If Detective Adams has anything more tonight, it'll be more diminishing returns," says Ben. "Seeing as all three of you have given your statements, I'd say get a good night's rest, and make yourselves available tomorrow if need be."

"So they're not booking me? Or her?" asks Jack.

"No, not tonight," Ben replies, before leaving the three of them to ponder their next move.

"Do you think they bought it?" asks Jack once Ben's out of earshot. "It's a long shot, but..."

"I'm not sure it matters what motive Kate had for attacking Amanda," David says grimly. "We can try to keep the investigation and the story quiet, out of the press, but with Malcolm's sources everywhere, the fact that his daughter's dead is bound to get out. It's only a matter of time. Chances are, he'll eventually come looking for her."

Emily looks away, while Jack runs a hand over his face.

Realising that he's effectively just sounded what seems to be a death knell for them all, David gets up to stand in front of Emily. "What's important now is that you're safe," he says firmly, placing a hand on his daughter's shoulder. "We can continue our discussion tomorrow but right now, you need to get some rest. Nolan's waiting outside, they wouldn't let him in until the investigation was wrapped up for the night. I can't stay here to watch over you, and neither can Jack, but Nolan will."

Emily purses her lips at what seems like a suggestion that she needs a babysitter, but says nothing, knowing that the moment Nolan joins them, she will be overpowered in this.

"Ems," breathes Nolan, striding into the manor's living room the second he's allowed to do so and armed with a duffel bag full of his stuff. Jack and her father having left, Emily now sits alone and points to her sling just as he makes to hug her. He decides to settle for rubbing her uninjured arm instead, his face a picture of anxiety and relief at the same time. "Are you alright? You could've been killed!"

"I'm okay, Nolan," she replies patiently.

"Barely," he points out. "I'm crashing here for a couple of nights, and I won't take no for an answer."

She shakes her head, but then realises that Nolan being here is advantageous in more ways than one.

"Nolan," she says suddenly. "I need you to hack into the hospital's records."

Realising what she's referring to, his face softens. "I can do that," he says, nodding. "But on one condition."

"What?"

"That after I do, you're going to go to bed and _try _to sleep. Capiche?"

"Fine," Emily agrees, rolling her eyes.

* * *

Victoria, rarely a picture of anything other than dignity, calm and elegance, now looks anything but as she sits in one of the hospital's waiting rooms. She has always been particularly adept - even talented, you could say - at masking her true emotions when the situation calls for it, and a large part of this has come from a highly educational life among socialites in the Hamptons. But part of her also believes that this ability stems from having to fend for herself at the tender age of 15. So young, and already she'd had to shoot a man, take the blame for killing him, and then be thrown out on the streets. You don't come out of experiences like that and learn nothing, and for Victoria, it's her now compulsive need to take control of the situation. As wretched as her mother was, she does have Marion to thank for her near-flawless ability to manipulate other people in order to protect herself, and once she'd started a family of her own, to protect them as well. If her mother has taught her anything at all, it's this. This, and how not to be a parent.

* * *

_There is a light knock on the door._

_"Mrs Grayson?"_

_Victoria adjusts herself, sitting up just as the nurse enters the room while pushing a bassinet in along with her. She feels exhausted from her 14-hour labour, but even so, nothing could keep her from holding her son in her arms for only the second time. _

_"Here he is," the nurse says as she gently lifts the newborn and hands him over to his mother. "Have you settled on a name yet?"_

_"No," replies Victoria, smiling as she looks down on her son's face - pure and innocent and beautiful. "He's still baby boy Grayson for now."_

_She looks at him and feels an indescribable warmth that seems to swell from her heart right down to her toes. Who knew someone so small could inspire so much love just from existing? _

_Some part of her, though, remembers in the back of her mind another baby boy she'd held in her arms, and even raised on her own for 6 months. It kills her that she'd given little Patrick up, but at the same time, she knows that doing so would only give them both their best chance in life. She'd been 16, pregnant, and alone, not married and financially stable like she is now._

_Victoria thinks of her mother, and how she'd thrown her to the curb. She thinks of Patrick, who must be 14 now, and how she'd had to give him up._

_I promise to protect you, she vows, as she gazes adoringly at her newborn son. I promise I'll do everything in my power to keep you safe._

* * *

She would move worlds for him if she could.

The ugly truth is that even now, if she had to choose between Daniel and David, if she were to be put in the same situation as she'd been 21 years ago, she would pick her son without any hesitation at all. Of course she hates the fact that choosing one must mean the destruction of the other, but Victoria will never forget that first moment she'd held Daniel in her arms, when she'd looked into his face and vowed to protect him at all costs.

_You think you really know what happened? Well, here it is. Your father's business practices forced me to make a despicable choice. It was either my lover's life, or my son's, and I sacrificed David and chose you. Daniel, I will always choose you._

_No. No, this is what you do, this is exactly what I'm talking about. There is always an explanation for how and why you love, because you are terrified to be alone. Look at you now - you're alone! So thanks - thanks, Mom. Thanks. Thanks for being a cautionary tale - one I won't dare let happen to me._

He didn't believe her then, and maybe he never will, but Victoria has run out of ways to prove how much she loves her son and the lengths she will go to ensure his safety. And now there's nothing she can do but wait.

_The waiting is the worst, _she thinks. Hours have passed since they've wheeled Daniel into the ER and still no news of his condition has reached her.

"Mrs Grayson?"

Victoria turns to see who she presumes is Daniel's doctor walking towards her, and immediately gets up, her hands trembling slightly. Words leave her; she merely looks at the doctor for an answer to the question of whether her son has pulled through.

"Daniel's lost a lot of blood from the gunshots to the abdomen," she begins, "but his condition has stabilised, and we're hopeful he'll make it."

Relief, pure, immediate relief, washes over Victoria.

"Is - is he awake?"

"He's asleep right now, but you can see him."

When Victoria stands by Daniel's bedside, looking down on his face, she is overwhelmed by the sense of déjà vu she experiences. Asleep, he reminds her once more of the little boy she'd held in her arms: pure, innocent, unmarked; a clean slate, untainted by any sins or mistakes. He looks peaceful; the only thing that betrays his condition is the fact that his lips are a sickly pale colour.

"Victoria?" a voice calls out from just outside Daniel's room, pulling her back from her vivid memories and dragging her back into her present day nightmare.

"I'm sorry, sir, but only family allowed -" a nurse begins.

"It's alright," Victoria cuts in, stepping out to join David in the hallway.

"I thought I'd come by and see if you needed anything. How's Daniel?" he asks, sounding concerned.

"The doctor says his condition's stable now, and that he should pull through," she replies, resuming some of her usual demeanour and poise now that she knows her son will make it through this ordeal alive. She draws herself up to her full height, attempting to regain some of her composure. "David, I want answers. I want to know why the hell my son has just spent the last few hours fighting for his life."

"Have the cops questioned you yet?"

"I would think my tax dollars were being spent very inefficiently if they hadn't," she says sharply.

"What did you tell them?"

"The truth - that I know nothing about why that woman attacked my son. I told you that you had no right to keep me in the dark about this!"

Victoria fixates him with a steely-eyed gaze, determined to get an explanation, and it isn't long before David nods, giving in and pulling her into an empty hospital room just down the hall.

"The woman who shot Daniel, her name was Kate Taylor," he explains once they're alone. "She came after Amanda last night. I don't know how Kate knew who she was, but she did."

She shifts slightly, but her mild discomfort goes unnoticed by him. "Did she say why Daniel was there?"

"Amanda told me he tried to protect her. She was hurt, and he stepped in front of her."

Even now, still sick with worry about Daniel's condition, Victoria can't help but mull over this piece of information. She would take two bullets for her son any day. What she doesn't understand, and perhaps never will, is why he would do the same for Emily.

* * *

_Emily walks over to the sofa where Daniel is sitting, and immediately recognises the photo he's looking at on the iPad: one of himself in a white tux, with blood all over the front. She sighs inwardly, realising that Daniel is reading an article on the murder investigation, probably one of many accusing her pseudo-__fiancé__ of being Tyler's killer. Part of her wants to tell him to put it away - just one glance at the vitriol being directed at him can only add to his misery - but between their fight on the beach and Daniel looking for answers under her floorboards, things are still a little tense between them. She settles for sitting down next to him and rubbing his back._

_"Should've gone to Paris," says Daniel, not looking at her. _

_"I know. I'm so sorry," she replies, her voice soft. _

_Does she think he murdered Tyler? In all probability... no. All evidence seems to point to Daniel, him being the only one on the beach that night, but something feels off. Growing up believing her father had been behind the downing of Flight 197 only to learn at the age of 18 that he had been framed, Emily knows better than to accept evidence as fact. _

_"Hamptons police department," a voice calls out, and Emily turns to see Detective Gunther knocking on her front door, with several police officers behind him._

_"Just a minute!" she calls out._

_"They're gonna fry me, aren't they?" says Daniel, his voice slightly unsteady and fear etched on his face. _

_Perhaps it's that he looks frightened and lost, or perhaps it's that he reminds her of someone she used to know, but Emily suddenly feels the need to soothe him, comfort him in some way._

_"No - no. No, I'm not gonna let that happen, okay?" she says, leaning forward to place her hand on the back of his neck. "Okay?" _

_When she moves in to kiss him, maybe, just maybe, some part of it is real. And when he looks at her as the cops take him away, Emily can't deny that she's sorry. _

_I never meant for you to be a target, she thinks to herself, as she watches the police cars drive away. But I'm too far down this road now._

* * *

Emily hates dreams.

She hates the fact that when she sleeps, she has absolutely no control over what goes on in her head. That her mind can choose to wander towards thoughts of Aiden dying, her father being taken away by the FBI, herself getting shot, etc, and be powerless to do anything until she awakes. This morning, what she hates is dreaming - or rather, reliving - a latent memory, no doubt brought forward by the events of last night.

She wastes no time in getting out of bed to look for Nolan, and soon finds him sitting at her kitchen counter and facing his laptop.

"Morning, Ems," he greets her. "I don't know if it's abject fear, but I have been _crazy_ productive. I reverse-timestamped a call from your phone to Jack's to support your story -"

"Good," she cuts in. "Did you manage to get in?"

Immediately grasping her meaning, Nolan scrutinises his bestie, and as usual, her face gives nothing away except impatience to know the answer to her question. His fingers fly across the keyboard and mere seconds later, he's turning his laptop to face Emily, a digital copy of Daniel's hospital record on the screen.

"I got in last night - or should I say, this morning. Two gunshots to the abdomen - but you already knew that - blood pressure's low and he's still unconscious, but to cut to the chase, Danny boy should recover fully in months, maybe even weeks."

Emily finds herself letting out a breath she hadn't even realised she was holding.

"Why didn't you just ask David to check for you? He went to the hospital last night."

"He said not to contact him, in case Malcolm's already onto us and tracking his phone," says Emily.

"Speaking of, thanks to Jack's quick thinking, I managed to excavate Kate's phone, clone it, and mine every piece of data I could from it," Nolan says, not bothering to hide his pride in his work. "And that includes the FAA locator numbers for every one of Malcolm Black's private planes, which means that if he decides to take a little vacation in the Hamptons, we'll know."

The corners of her mouth turn up slightly at this development. The fact that a psychopathic crime boss could be making his way to the Hamptons in a matter of weeks or even days ought to evoke some kind of fear in Emily, and it does - but not for her. In fact, at this point she worries more about her father going after Malcolm himself (and wouldn't be surprised if it involved some act of sacrifice to keep her safe) than anything else, really.

All that matters to Emily is keeping those she loves - her father, Jack, and Nolan - safe. And right now they have the upper hand - which could make all the difference between life and death.

* * *

**A/N: **Yay, Daniel survives! There was no way I could have written this story otherwise, to be honest. But I apologise for the lack of non-flashback Demily scenes this time around, for obvious reasons. Reviews are to me what Emily is to Nolan (clearly), so let me know what you thought of this chapter! (｡◕ ∀ ◕｡)


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: **As always, thank you for your reviews, feedback, follows, and favourites, they're seriously appreciated and I enjoy reading every single one of your reviews :) You should know that you've all accumulated lots of good karma. :p

(edit: I've only just noticed the lack of formatting and oh my goodness, you can be sure I smacked my forehead really loudly when I realised. You would think that, this being the 4th chapter, I would be used to it by now, but apparently not. Am I mortified? YOU BET. I am so sorry to anyone who had to read it unformatted and without page breaks! D:)

* * *

**"I've gone for too long  
****Living like I'm not alive  
****So I'm going to start over tonight  
****Beginning with you and I."**

― **Paramore, **_**Miracle**_

**Chapter 4**

Bright lights, white walls, and the distinct smell of disinfectant.

"So Daniel, I need you to get lots of rest, try to refrain from rigorous physical activity for the next few weeks, and keep on track with your medications, alright?"

Daniel flashes his doctor as charming a smile as he can muster under the circumstances, assuring her that he'll comply with her instructions. He doesn't hate hospitals per se, but it hasn't exactly been peachy being stuck here with all his food, drink and daily activities monitored, with only visits from Margaux and even his mother to brighten the day. In fact, even Louise has come to see him, complete with distinct Southern drawl and gargantuan bouquet of flowers in hand (though she did spend more time talking to his mother than him).

_But no Emily, _he thinks, and then subsequently berates himself for having thought about her _yet again_ in the past few weeks he's been here. It's been impossible for Daniel to stop his thoughts from gravitating towards his ex-wife even with his girlfriend standing next to his bed, but in his defence, he _did _just take two bullets for her. Isn't it perfectly normal to worry about a person whose life would probably have ended if he hadn't been there?

"I also want you to come straight to the hospital if the dressing on your wounds come off, if there's any excessive bleeding, and if you're running a temperature for more than 4-5 hours, Dr Ho adds, not unkindly. "Fever could be a sign of infection, which is serious if not addressed."

"I'll be sure to keep that in mind. So this means I'm free to go, right?"

She nods, smiling. "Yes, you are. Your nurse will assist you with your discharge details, and I'll see you again soon for your follow-up."

Seated in a chair on the other side of her son, Victoria chimes in, "Thank you, doctor. I'm sure Daniel will take your advice seriously."

At this, he suppresses the urge to roll his eyes, and in fact, he's on the verge of a retaliatory comment when he's interrupted by the sound of a phone ringing. The blonde French whips out her mobile from her bag.

"I'm so sorry Daniel, it's the office," she says apologetically. "I have to take this, I'll be right back." A quick peck on the lips, and then Margaux is striding out of his room, heels clicking loudly on the linoleum floor.

"How are you feeling?" Victoria asks once they're alone, examining her son with one of her customary piercing gazes.

"Fine, Mom. Look, I'm 28, not 8," he points out. "I can take care of myself."

"The fact that you're in this hospital bed right now instead of in your penthouse, after taking 2 bullets for a woman whose name I care not to mention, tells me otherwise. After what she's done to you -"

"Mom, not this again," he cuts in. "She was hurt, and I just wanted to help her. Can we leave it at that?"

Victoria opens her mouth to reiterate the fact that no, they can't just leave it at that, but is forced to drop her case for the moment when Margaux re-enters.

"Hey," Daniel greets his girlfriend, visibly relieved at the welcome intrusion. "I'm gonna go talk to the nurse about getting out of here. Come with me, won't you?"

"Oh, well of course -"

"Great," he cuts in, already out of bed.

* * *

"So - here we are. Welcome home, Daniel." Margaux turns to face him, a bright smile on her face as she leans in for a kiss.

_Home, _he thinks, as he looks around his penthouse suite and re-acquaints himself with everything in it. _Hmm._

"How does it feel to be back?"

"Like freedom," Daniel answers without hesitation, and Margaux laughs.

"I would love to stay with you here tonight, but I have a sinking feeling I might be in the office until the sun comes up. Voulez has an important issue coming out next week, and with the quarterly earnings down..." Margaux trails off, watching as he flops onto the bed. "Hey, you shouldn't be worrying about me today." She walks over to where Daniel lies down, staring up at the ceiling. "I promise: after next week you get my full attention."

He returns her smile, albeit somewhat distractedly. "It's fine, babe. You go do whatever you need to, it's not like I'm bleeding on the floor. Really, I'll be fine."

"Love you," she says, leaning in to kiss him once more.

"Love you too."

When Margaux leaves for the office minutes later, Daniel takes this time alone to ponder his next move. It feels strange not having anything to do - no clients to see, no portfolios to look over... nothing. They've put the shower debacle behind them, Louise and him, but they've also amicably agreed to go their separate ways with regard to the management of her wealth. He supposes he ought to look for new clients sometime soon - the bill for the suite isn't going to pay itself, after all - but right now, Daniel has more pressing issues on his mind, the reason he's been shot twice in the abdomen being one of them.

There is no doubt in his mind that Emily's probably fine, because word would have spread like wildfire if anything serious had happened to one of Hamptons' elite (especially the current owner of the old Grayson Manor), but other than that, he knows nothing about what she's been up to. No visits, and no explanations for the night they both nearly died.

* * *

_"Where on earth is Emily?"_

_"I think she's just grabbing the cake."_

_"Oh, there she is."_

_Daniel looks up to see his girlfriend walking towards their cosy little gathering, cake in hand, and immediately feels a warmth at this beautiful vision. Everybody around the table begins to sing him Happy Birthday, and Daniel smiles, thinking that this is probably the best one he's had. But then he hears another voice, one that isn't welcome at all, and looks up to see Tyler behind Emily, a gun pointed at her head. His blood immediately runs cold._

_"Come on people, yes, big finish! Happy birthday dear Daniel, happy birthday to you," Tyler sings mockingly. "Sit down, Emily."_

_She complies, although obviously reluctantly._

_"Make a wish," Tyler continues, then bends over to blow out the candles on Daniel's cake. "Emily Thorne, poor little rich girl next door. You've had a target on my head since the day we met. Now you can see how it feels."_

_Daniel watches as Emily turns her head slightly to look at Tyler, fear evident on her face. All he can think about is the fact that there's a gun pointed at his girlfriend's head, and the words escape his mouth before he's even sure of what he's doing. "Tyler buddy, put the gun down -"_

_"Shut up, Danny!" says Tyler, pointing the gun at him next and immediately shutting Daniel up. "You made it clear that I'm not your buddy, and now, you're on the losing end of things for once in your life."_

_Funny how time seems to both fly and crawl when you're in the middle of a life-threatening situation. Everything moves quickly, yet not fast enough at the same time._

Daniel recalls _that _birthday clearly (how could he not?), the first time Emily and him had had their lives threatened at gunpoint. He remembers the most vivid moment of that night - watching Tyler point a gun at his then-girlfriend, seconds away from pulling the trigger, and his own heart pounding so hard it feels like it might burst out of his chest.

_And now we have another one of those to add to the list_, he thinks to himself.

* * *

"Any updates?"

"Not today, sunshine."

It's become a custom for Nolan and Emily to exchange such cheery morning greetings as these now, though she realises the pointlessness of it, because if either of them had heard even the slightest indication that Malcolm Black was anywhere other than Canada, they would've informed the other within a matter of seconds. But still she asks him, and maybe it's because every time she gets "no" for an answer, it's music to her ears. Weeks on from her altercation with Kate, Emily's arm is now completely healed, Nolan's still a permanent presence at Thorne Manor, and they've had no news about Malcolm. In a way, the lack of reaction feels worse than an immediate retaliation.

"If I didn't know better, I'd say he's biding his time, probably just to mess with us," Nolan had observed once to her. "Like Hannibal Lecter. Or Voldemort."

But at the very least, it's allowed Emily a return of her fighting abilities, now that she doesn't have a broken arm hindering her daily training. In fact, once her doctor had cleared her (well, slightly before, actually), she'd been training more intensely than ever.

"I do have an update on Prince Grayson, however," he says, turning his laptop to face her with a digital copy of Daniel's hospital record on it. Emily's eyes scan the document for details that indicate to her Daniel's full recovery, while Nolan looks at her expectantly, awaiting some kind of response.

"Well? Penny for your thoughts, girl with the infinity tattoo?"

After a long silence broken only by the sound of Emily retrieving a mug and pouring herself some coffee, she finally responds. "I'm glad."

"That's it?" he asks, in disbelief.

"You know that Daniel was never a target," she says quietly. "Despite our history, despite what he did to me... I still care about him." Then, in a characteristically more stoic manner, she adds, "I'm glad he'll be alright."

"Tell me again why he took 2 bullets for you, when he did the exact opposite last summer?"

Just as nonplussed, she simply shakes her head.

"You think maybe Danny's had a crisis of conscience? Maybe he's trying to atone for his sins - step by step, of course."

Emily shrugs, non-committal. "Maybe."

"Why didn't you... y'know?" asks Nolan, looking at her curiously. "Victoria Grayson never stopped Emily Thorne before, you could've easily snuck in. Remember that striped jacket I used when you were in the hospital?"

The corners of her mouth turn up slightly at this reminder; Nolan had been one of the few beacons of light during that dark period of her life. "I made a deal with him that I would keep him out of my war against Victoria. I think it's best we stay out of each other's way from now on."

"Mm. The Hamptons is a pretty small place, though."

When Nolan leaves an hour later, she takes this opportunity to go up to her bedroom, open her bedside drawer, and extract the letter she'd swiped from the crime scene before the cops had arrived. By now, the smudges of blood have turned a dark brown, the paper somewhat stiff. Emily unfolds it.

_Dear Dad,_

_My whole life I've been told I was destined for greatness based solely on the virtue of my name. I was taught sacrifice was for the foolish; survival was all that mattered. But now I find myself at a crossroads, and I must decide what I believe to be true. There is no such thing as destiny. Legacies must be earned by the choices we make. I now know that we write our own endings, and we can either choose to hide as villains, or live as heroes._

_Daniel_

Emily researches all her targets and pawns thoroughly, and Daniel had been no different. Even before she'd stalked him at Harvard in order to observe his character, she'd looked up his background: Daniel Grayson, spoilt little rich kid with a party boy reputation and a penchant for scandal.

_Nothing out of the ordinary, really, _she remembers thinking.

Which is why Emily can't put a context to this letter of his. He'd written of forging his own path and legacy through his choices, and not through the Grayson name. But as far as her research can tell, his poor little rich kid reputation had held, up to the moment they'd met at the yacht party.

She frowns, then folds the letter and puts it back in its place.

* * *

"Daniel?"

Lost in his memories, the calling of his name evokes no reaction from him whatsoever, and Daniel remains where he is, sitting on his bed and flipping the pages of a scrapbook he'd stashed away a year ago.

"Daniel, darling, are you here?" Victoria calls out again, this time managing to get through to her son.

_Shit, _he thinks, employing a few choice swear words in his head as he makes to put the book out of sight of his mother's eyes, but to no avail. He looks up to see her standing mere feet away.

"What are you doing?" she asks, a dangerous edge to her voice.

Daniel sighs, well aware that his hasty attempt to conceal Emily's first birthday present to him has been a complete and abject failure. "I'm allowed to look through my old things, aren't I?"

"Not unless it's to throw them out, which I suspect is not the case here," she says sharply. "Daniel, need I remind you that that woman lied about who she was, then used you in order to insinuate her way into this family?"

"I'm fully aware of who Emily is and what she's done to us. I'm also fully aware of what _our family_ has done to hers."

"Is that why you took those bullets for her? You're trying to make up for all our sins?"

_I'm not sure taking 2 bullets makes us even, _he thinks, but says nothing.

"Or are you still in love with her?"

At this accusation, Daniel gapes at his mother in disbelief, leaving him momentarily unable to come up with any sort of response and allowing her to continue her tirade.

"I didn't want to say anything while you were still recovering in the hospital, but now that you're back home, I will," says Victoria, resolute in her desire to protect him. "My darling son, I beg of you, do not go down this road again. No good ever comes from dredging up the past, especially ours."

Daniel shakes his head. "I don't want to fight with you, not after I nearly died. But I will say this: I'm an adult, and it's none of your business what I do."

"It's my business that my son is far too trusting of women who end up destroying his life!"

"You mean like you?" he says, and Victoria stiffens, clearly resentful at the accusation.

"Everything I have done, I've done to protect you. And I will not hesitate -"

"What are you gonna do, Mom, hire a private investigator to follow me around? Track my cell phone GPS?"

"No," she says quietly. "I won't do that. But I will tell Margaux."

* * *

Several hours later, Daniel resolves to get out of the hotel, maybe take a walk - anything to distract himself from being left alone with his thoughts. He'd spent the last few hours engaged in a number of activities: going through keepsakes and memories from his relationship with Emily, contemplating paying her a visit, restlessly pacing his suite, and eyeing with interest the bottle of champagne sent up by the hotel (no doubt a gift celebrating his recovery and return).

Victoria had left soon after making her threats heard, but as far as Daniel could tell, he had no reason to be worried at present. As far as he knew, he'd done nothing wrong that Margaux could be upset about. Yet.

"Daniel?" a voice calls out, the second time today. This time, though, it belongs to someone whom he finds most definitely welcome.

"My god, Char," says Daniel, getting up to greet his little sister and embracing her. "You're a sight for sore eyes, you know that? What are you doing here?"

She pulls back from their hug, both elation and concern evident on her face. "What, did you think I wouldn't come see my big brother after he nearly died? Is it true what they're saying? That you got shot trying to protect Emily?"

"Ah. Well... Why don't we sit down, and I'll tell you all about it. And you can tell me all about how you've been doing."

Realising that Daniel has made no immediate denial of her statement, her eyes widen considerably. "The last I checked, you _hated_ her. What changed? Oh my god, don't tell me it's because of what I told you." Daniel hesitates, enough to confirm her suspicion, and Charlotte exclaims, "Oh my god, it is, isn't it?"

"I'm glad you told me," he says honestly. "Because it's helped me to understand everything so much better, including my history with her."

Charlotte shakes her head. "So what happened?"

"I was walking the beach the night it happened; I heard a disturbance at our old house, and I checked it out," he explains. "Obviously, I had no idea I would get shot in the process."

"Who was that woman? Kate, or whatever her name was? I read the papers, but they didn't say much."

"No idea. And I still have no idea why she tried to kill her."

"Emily didn't come see you?"

"No. But I can't really blame her for that, not with Mom hovering around like a hawk."

Charlotte snorts. "Yeah, that she is. Have you spoken to her lately?"

"Actually, you missed her by a couple of hours. She was just here."

"What did she want?"

"What she always wants: to meddle," Daniel replies, rolling his eyes at the recollection. "Listen, Char, it's good that you're here, because I could really use some advice."

"While I'm flattered you'd come to me, I'm not sure it's wise to ask for advice from a 20-year old junkie who just checked herself out of rehab," she points out, and Daniel chuckles.

"Hey, you're one of the smartest people I know," he says, putting his hands on her shoulders. "_You_ checked _yourself_ into rehab." Charlotte smiles at this attempt to make her feel better as Daniel continues. "I need to talk to Emily, get some answers - I mean, I think I deserve an explanation for my near-death experience. But I want you to know that no matter what lies Mom tries to poison you with, I did it willingly."

Charlotte doesn't bother to hide her surprise at the 180-degree change in attitude.

"I spent the past year blaming Emily for all of my problems, and I don't wanna do that anymore. In fact, I'm - I'm grateful, because she forced us to face the truth. I don't know if you've noticed, but our family's done nothing but tear hers apart."

"What do you have in mind? An apology?" she asks, still sceptical. He merely makes a noncommittal gesture.

Looking at Charlotte now, Daniel realises that he hasn't been as great a brother as he'd wanted, not having been there for her when she'd been kidnapped, or when she'd tried to end her life, but he wants to make sure he's there for her now. Learning of them being mere half-siblings hasn't changed the fact that Daniel loves his little sister, who has always been honest with him, and it's probably high time he returned the favour.

"Do you remember what happened on the yacht the night Emily and I got married?"

"Danny, I don't think anyone could forget their sister-in-law getting shot on her wedding night."

"Didn't you find it strange that Lydia was the one who shot Emily?"

"I didn't know Lydia very well," Charlotte says slowly. "But I mean, I did think Mom was a more probable suspect; she hated Emily from the beginning."

Daniel takes a deep breath, steeling himself for what is bound to be an uncomfortable experience.

"Try not to think too badly of your big brother after this, okay?"

* * *

In the first 2 weeks after the incident, they'd tried to lay low and keep to themselves as much as possible, not wanting to draw more attention than necessary. Most of all, they were on high alert. But as the weeks passed, and no news of Malcolm Black heading their way had surfaced, Emily and Nolan had tried to go about their lives as per normal - or as normal as they could be, anyway. Seeing as she was still sharing her roof with him for safety purposes, part of the return to normalcy had included joint routines in the evenings, like either watching a movie (they took turns to choose the title) or, if it was a weekday, Wheel of Fortune (Nolan's pick). For the most part, Em watches in silence, while Nolan gives his comments or half-yells the answer to the puzzle on the screen, and _oh god we're turning into an old married couple, _she thinks. As much as she loves her bestie, she doubts she'll ever get used to doing _normal _things like sitting on a couch and watching TV.

"Nolan, don't you think it's time you move back into the $10 million house I bought you?"

"And not be on hand if our own personal Keyser Söze decides to drop by? No no no, I don't think so."

"It's been 7 weeks."

"Which only makes him more dangerous, because he's probably patiently biding his time somewhere in Ottawa right before he goes all psycho on our asses!"

"You said yourself we've got the locator numbers for all of his planes. If he comes, we'll be prepared. And we can mobilise resources just as well in separate locations, not to mention the fact that your place is a mere 35 minutes away." Her argument yields no response from him. "Nolan..."

"I don't know Ems, I kinda like staying here. For one thing, it means I can keep an eye on you. And, well... it's been nice bunking with my bestie."

Emily can't help but smile ever so slightly at this, but for the sake of her sanity, she needs some space.

"Alright, I get it," says Nolan. "You're like the human version of a solitary animal. I'll move back next week." She gives him a look that says, _you're kidding, right?_ "Fine, tomorrow." Two raised eyebrows. _"Tonight?"_

"I'm not kicking you out, I just think we ought to move forward with our lives."

After a long silence, Nolan sighs heavily, evidently giving in to her demands (was there ever any doubt?). "Alright, fine. I'll pack some of my stuff up tonight and come back for the rest tomorrow. On the plus side," he mutters to himself, "this means I finally get to bring my paramours home again."

When the packing process is over, Nolan stands in the manor's foyer, duffel bag stuffed with only half the clothes he's imported over to Em's place. Trying his luck, he turns to her in a last-ditch attempt at preserving their current housing arrangement.

"Last chance to change your mind," he says hopefully, which produces a chuckle from Emily, but nothing more.

"Goodnight, Nolan."

"Goodnight, Ems."

Closing the door behind him, she feels a strange mixture of comfort and emptiness at the same time. It already feels odd adjusting to an environment without Nolan almost constantly in it, but the fact remains that if she spends one more night watching an episode of America's Game, she just might lose her mind. Give or take an hour later, Emily is about to turn in for the night when she hears the doorbell ring.

_Probably Nolan, _she thinks, making her way down the grand staircase and finding the door still resolutely shut. _Odd. Since when have either of us bothered to knock or ring? _

Amused by the sudden respect for privacy, Emily is halfway through her sentence when she opens the door. "What's with the sudden -"

"Hi."

"Daniel," she says, clearly surprised. In fact, the words surprised, perplexed and stunned combined don't even begin to describe her reaction at seeing her ex-husband on her front step.

"I know it's late," he says, somewhat apologetic. "Can I come in?"

* * *

**A/N:** Some thoughts I had while writing this chapter: I really enjoyed bringing Charlotte back, because I do like her relationship with Daniel. Also, I found it necessary to involve Nolan in Em's plans against Malcolm Black (honestly, when he wasn't involved on the show, it was a little hard for me to accept. But that's just my opinion).

Personally, I'm super excited to start writing Chapter 5, if you get my drift ;) Hehehehe let me know what you guys think! Reviews are to me what snarky comebacks are to Victoria (and thank you for noticing what I did there c:) (｡◕ ∀ ◕｡)


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: **If you're still here reading this after my 3.5 months of absence, I honestly love you. And I'm so very sorry. (Really sorry!)

* * *

**"How do you restart something that had never been turned off?"**

― **Veronica Rossi, **_**Under the Never Sky**_

**Chapter 5**

"Daniel," she says, surprised - if surprised equated to stunned and very confused.

"I know it's late," he says, sounding slightly apologetic. "Can I come in?"

Whatever his reasons for coming here tonight, Emily is certain this visit will not bode well. She should refuse to let him in, tell him it's late and she doesn't want to talk...

"I don't think this is a good -"

"Please?" he cuts in. She looks at him, seeing the same stubborn and determined Daniel she's known for the past 3 years, fully aware that he will probably keep trying until he gets his way. _Although_ _a "Please?" is probably a step up from simply resorting to threats, _she thinks_._ And the longer he stands in her doorway, the greater the chance of exposure for both of them.

"Oh, what the hell," she mutters, then louder, "Get in, and quickly." The minute the door closes, she rounds on him, only to see him engrossed in examining the new balcony she's had constructed.

"You sure that's a good idea? I'm starting to think that ledge is cursed," he remarks. "I mean, you're not the first one to fall off of it."

His presumption annoys her, and she has to bite her tongue from voicing the scathing insult that immediately enters her head. Emily settles for folding her arms instead.

"I assume you aren't here to give me tips on interior design, so what do you want, Daniel? It's nearly midnight."

"Thought I'd come by and see how you were doing, seeing as I haven't seen or heard anything about you for the past 7 weeks that I've been in the hospital," he replies casually, turning to face her.

"Your mother made it clear she didn't want me anywhere near you."

"And since when have you listened to my mother?"

Emily smirks slightly, acknowledging the truth of his statement. Looking at Daniel now, she sees no trace of the fact that he's been shot twice and miraculously survived; if she hadn't been there when it happened, if she hadn't been the one whose life he'd saved, she would've thought the only ailment he had was an excessively large ego. But she does know, she does remember what happened, and the thought of it is enough to soften her slightly. But just slightly.

"You look like you're mostly recovered," she nods, her tone civil.

"Yeah well, after weeks of lying in a hospital bed with my every move watched, I expect nothing less. And don't worry, I'm not here on a drunken whim. Apparently you can't consume alcohol right after getting shot twice in the stomach."

"So you've been sober for 7 weeks? Wow, this must be the longest you've gone without."

"It's also how long we haven't spoken, coincidentally," he fires back. "What, you didn't think I deserved an explanation for nearly dying for you?"

"I never asked you to do that."

"But I did. Call it fate or whatever, but if I hadn't gotten to you in time, it would've been you on the floor instead." Daniel scoffs, frustrated at the direction their conversation is taking. This isn't how he'd pictured it; he'd imagined - what? What had he imagined? That they'd forgive and forget, kiss and make up and everything would be fine and dandy once more? Did he think they could maybe have something resembling a friendship? Oddly enough, he still hadn't managed to grasp the fact that with him and Emily, nothing ever went according to plan.

Emily sighs. "Fine. You know what? You took two bullets for me. Let's call it even."

"That's not what this is about," he says, exhaling loudly.

"Then what is it about? Why are you really here, Daniel?"

"Well for starters, it _would_ be nice to know why the hell I got shot by some woman I've never even seen before in my life, let alone an FBI agent."

"The less you know, the better," says Emily almost dismissively.

"Hmm. Right. So you can guarantee that I won't have to worry about any of her associates coming here to finish the job."

She says nothing.

"Y'know, Em, you spent 2 years hiding things from me and using me like a pawn in your little chess game. But you and I both know that that's not gonna happen anymore. I told you, I see you. I know exactly who you are now. And now, as someone intimately involved in this whole mess, I deserve to know the truth, not the one you've so obviously spun in the press. I mean, "Jealous lover attacks socialite", really?"

She purses her lips. "It's not completely a lie." When he says nothing else, merely raises his eyebrows, she continues, "Jack and her were dating, yes."

"But?"

"But she didn't come after me because of that, she came after me because she knew who I was," Emily says, giving in after a long silence during which each of them had tried to outstare the other. This isn't something she wants to discuss in the foyer manor, and she walks into the living room with Daniel trailing behind.

God, it annoys her to no end how she can no longer hide behind plastic smiles and the name Emily Thorne with him anymore.

"She knew you were - I mean, she knows you're Amanda Clarke? How?"

"That's what I'm still trying to figure out," she admits. "And she wasn't a real FBI agent; she was the daughter of an international crime boss named Malcolm Black, who's after my father."

Daniel lets out a low whistle before remarking, "Man, your life is complicated."

Emily merely rolls her eyes before attempting to get her ex-husband to leave once more, if only because the longer he stays, the more she's convinced she will end up doing something stupid, something she will probably regret later. "Now you've had your queries addressed, will you go? It isn't safe for you to be here."

"Wait... is Emily Thorne actually displaying concern for me right now?" Daniel asks, looking absurdly pleased with himself.

_The nerve of this guy_, she thinks, only slightly amused as she shakes her head. "If I recall correctly, you're the one who asked to be kept out of this. I'm merely keeping to our agreement."

"Hey, I'm just here for answers," he says, holding both hands up. "Tell me honestly, did you mean it when you said it wasn't all a lie? Or was it just something you said because you thought I was going to die?"

_Oh no._

"Daniel..."

"I just - I need to know."

She could lie and tell him that she'd said it just to make him feel better. That it had been what she thought would be a last act of kindness, the least she could do for him. But Daniel is staring at her like her answer is a lifeline, and she thinks of when he'd been bent down on one knee, looking up at her like she was the only thing that mattered.

_After all I've put him through, maybe he deserves to know the truth just this once_.

"No, it wasn't a lie," she says quietly, and watches as a look of visible relief passes over his face at this admission. She's beginning to think this was his real reason for coming here in the first place. "Why does the answer to that still matter, Daniel? Didn't you say that I use people without caring who gets hurt?"

"Because," he answers carefully, "before it all went to hell, I was pretty much crazy about you. I looked at you and saw the best thing I had going on in my life. And your answer proves that as much as you want to hide it, you do have a heart."

Daniel stares Emily straight in the eye as he says this, almost as if he's willing her to look away, before taking tentative steps towards her. And against her better judgement, she does nothing to stop it. She merely watches as he moves ever closer, herself standing unmoved.

It isn't long before the gap between them becomes virtually non-existent and Emily can feel the heat emanating from his body, his face inches from hers.

"My mother accused me of still being in love with you," Daniel says softly. "And crazy and paranoid as she is, on some level, she might just be right."

When he leans into her - she'd expected nothing less - and his lips brush against hers, Emily finds herself returning the gesture, even deepening the kiss. Daniel's left hand moves to rest on her cheek, his right snaking itself around her waist to pull her in closer, and for one glorious moment, it's as if the slate has been wiped clean - no more sins, no more mistakes, just two people trying to feel something other than pain. And maybe that one moment is enough for now.

* * *

_It's a miracle they manage to reach her bedroom at all. It's also a miracle she manages to keep her wits about her, with Daniel's lips leaving trail marks on the side of her neck._

_There are no more words to be said now, only the sound of clothes being removed and making their way onto the floor. No longer impeded by his shirt, Emily's hands come up to rest on his abs, before -_

_She pulls away, although they're both probably too far gone now to bring this up. _

_"Are you sure we should be doing this?" she asks, slightly breathless, looking pointedly at the bandage covering his wounds. _

_"Oh," he says - evidently he'd thrown all memory of his near-death experience out of his mind. "I'm sure it's fine. I'll risk it," he says, dismissing the injury and his doctor's warnings as he moves to resume kissing her._

_"I don't want you dying," she manages to get out, "in my bed."_

_Daniel chuckles. "I won't die. At the most, probably a trip to the hospital. But it is a good way to die." _

_"Do you have a death wish?"_

_"Well if you're so worried, you can be on top."_

* * *

"Y'know, I've even missed your mysterious exits."

Emily freezes in the midst of tying her hair, then turns to see Daniel sitting up in bed, the sheets just casually concealing the lower half of his body.

"I'm going for a swim," she says stiffly, already clad in a swimsuit under her robe. "Look, Daniel, I don't need to tell you that last night -"

"Was the first time we've slept together since I found out your real identity," he cuts in, a small and slightly groggy smile on his face.

Emily takes a deep breath, resisting the urge to run a hand through her hair out of frustration, and Daniel takes this opportunity to continue pushing her to her limit.

"So what would you say that was? Hate sex, or pity sex?"

"A mistake," she replies firmly, rolling her eyes. "You need to go."

He smiles to himself, a rueful expression on his face as he completely disregards her orders. "Do you push everyone away who tries to get close? With the exception of good old Jack, of course."

Emily sighs. "Jack and I kissed once and that was it. We were never in a relationship, not that it's any of your business."

"And Aiden? When you dated him, was that real? Because he looks too smart to have been just another pawn."

She stiffens visibly, as if her demeanour wasn't already tense enough.

"Aiden is the man I should be with now, if your mother hadn't gone and killed him," she says, unmistakeable anger bubbling under the surface.

_"What?"_

"You sound shocked. Why don't you ask Victoria yourself?"

Leaving him to ponder the truth of her admission, Emily grabs her things and walks out.

* * *

She would stay like this forever if she could.

A momentary escape, an hour or so of not having to think about anything other than the way the water feels around her, the way her muscles work almost of their own accord. Perhaps most crucial at this point - not having to think about dealing with Black, or the fact that she'd spent last night with Daniel Grayson, because the minute Emily gets out of the water, both problems are exactly what returns to her.

She sits on the sand now, drying her hair and taking stock of the obstacles currently in her way.

Black - straightforward. Take him out the minute he steps into the Hamptons, prevent other civilians from getting caught in the crossfire as much as possible. She knows Nolan is right, Black _will _come eventually; only a matter of when - like waiting for a bomb to explode with no clue how many minutes - maybe seconds - were left. But otherwise, they'd done everything in their power to prepare themselves, short of flying to Canada and taking him out there and then.

Daniel Grayson - not so straightforward. Not a target, and no longer a pawn, but still very much a... well, something to grapple with.

_If he's still anything like the boy I met at that yacht party, he'll want to take this further, _she thinks. _Exactly what I don't want._

He would try to convince her they ought to try again, now that all their (just hers, really) secrets were out in the open. He would tell her things were different. Maybe. That he was different. Also maybe. And she would shut him out like she'd done so many times before, refuse to embroil herself in their toxic relationship again. The only thing she wasn't sure of was how long it would take for Daniel to realise this was a lost cause.

_A mistake_, she thinks. _It was a mistake._

"Had a good swim?"

Emily turns and her father is there, settling down next to her on the sand; a polite smile, a comfortable distance. David's visits to Thorne Manor, too, have been few - everything had had to be controlled; nothing to suggest they were anything other than casual, friendly neighbours, and certainly not father and daughter reuniting and getting to know each other after a 20-year separation.

Oh, the irony of life. She had her father back, and yet she felt he was further away than ever.

_Still, _Emily thinks. _I ought to treasure every single moment, especially with Black still out there. _She returns the smile, nodding in reply.

"It helps me clear my mind."

"I'm not surprised. You used to spend almost every day swimming and playing with Jack on the beach," says David, smiling wistfully at the recollection of happier times. "You remember when we first came here? Thought it was heaven."

Emily almost snorts. "The devil can have it."

"Speaking of, have you given any more thought to what I told you?"

"Yes, and my answer remains the same. I won't leave you here," she replies firmly.

"The only person Black's after is me," he argues (not difficult to see where Emily got her stubbornness from, evidently). "It's my fault he's even coming here. I would never forgive myself if anything happened to you because of me."

Even if Emily could convince everyone she cared about to leave with her, it was by no means a smart move. They were all still needed for the police investigation - leaving would only arouse suspicion. And there was no guarantee that wherever they went, Black wouldn't find them eventually.

"Dad. If you think I could ever be convinced to leave the Hamptons without you, you really don't know me."

They look at each other then, this awful truth hanging in the silence between them like the stench of a dead animal. Impossible to ignore.

"You're right," he concedes finally, his voice soft. "I don't. I look at you sometimes and see the little girl I had a duty to protect. But the truth is that you've become this strong, independent woman who's capable of whatever she sets her mind to, and I haven't been around to see it." David doesn't bother to mask the regret that creeps into his voice.

"Dad -" she begins, but is cut off before she can begin to point out how his absence was the fault of others, not his.

"I'm proud of you, Amanda."

David gets up then, and is in the midst of planting a kiss on her forehead when he catches himself, looking almost comical when he freezes. C_asual, friendly neighbours do not show affection. _He settles for patting her arm awkwardly instead, before turning and heading back to the beach house.

Emily watches her father go, feeling very much like she's just been punched in the gut.

Her father had come here to persuade her to leave him, let him take the fall. But by the end of their conversation all he had succeeded in doing was steel her resolve to end Malcolm Black once and for all.

* * *

His feet shuffle across the sand, treading a once very familiar path.

_There is something very wrong_, he thinks, _about my mother staying in my ex-wife's old house._

"Mom!" Daniel calls out, knocking loudly. Repeatedly. Come to think of it, he hadn't even considered what he would do if David were at home. He'd simply and very impulsively decided he needed answers.

"Mom!" he calls out again. "We need to talk!"

Victoria opens the door moments later, her expression one of pleasant surprise. "Daniel! Come in -"

"No need," he says brusquely. "I only came here to ask one question."

Was he imagining things, or did his mother suddenly look paler?

"Why don't you come in, and we can discuss whatever it is -"

"Did you kill Aiden Mathis?" Daniel cuts in, his countenance making it clear to her that he would not be made a fool of, not anymore. He had had enough of being the naive, gullible young man, to be manipulated like a puppet by his mother and Emily.

He was at the same time, however, half-afraid of her answer.

Victoria says nothing at first, the battle between truth and lies ongoing in her head. Lies were second nature to her, but when it came to her children... Her children were her weakness. _Are _her weakness.

"You need to first understand that Emily is the reason Pascal is dead," she says finally, and that alone is enough to inform Daniel that his mother is a killer.

He shakes his head in disbelief, as if doing so will physically expunge this fact out of his mind.

"Y'know, Mom... I want to say I can't believe this, but I'm not even really surprised," he mutters those last few words, running a hand through his hair and beginning to pace the porch of the beach house.

"That _woman_," Victoria continues, her voice shaking slightly with the effort it takes to remain calm, "deserves to suffer for what she's done and continues to do to this family. Because of her, the man I loved was taken away from me. I won't let her do the same thing again."

A light bulb seems to go off in Daniel's head. He stops pacing, turns to look at Victoria.

"You sent that FBI agent after Emily." It isn't a question.

The minutes that follow his accusation are a blur to Daniel as he traipses the beach now, wandering aimlessly. He remembers the fury that rises to the surface and threatens to spill over, his face warming up quickly. He remembers fighting to control his temper, stop himself from yelling, but can't actually recall if he succeeds.

_God, my mother..._ M_y mother is the reason I very nearly died. My mother is a murderer, _Daniel thinks.

_If murderous instincts and being an asshole are genetic..._ _I'm screwed._

* * *

A large black SUV pulls up next to the chief's police car, before a tall and burly man gets out of the driver's seat.

"Chief Alvarez?"

"Yup," comes the reply, the police chief taking in the man's late-night appearance.

"Kay Palen," the stranger introduces himself, extending a polite hand.

"Hi," says Alvarez, returning the gesture.

"FBI. Lower chief lord of Manhattan."

"Alright. So how can I help the FBI?"

"Well, I'm tryin' track down one of our lost sheep - special agent Kate Taylor," he explains. "She was doing some fieldwork."

"Yeah, the Conrad Grayson murder, sure. She was here, closed the case, got called back to her office a few days ago."

The mysterious man nods in understanding, twitching slightly. "She never made it back."

Alvarez merely cocks his head at this piece of information, the change in the stranger's tone too subtle for him to catch.

"Was she... working with anyone on your team?" the FBI agent asks curiously.

"Yeah. One of our rookies, Jack Porter. Let me give him a call," he says, retrieving his cell phone and making to dial.

The man looks around then, taking in their surroundings, his impatience well-controlled under his facade.

"Budget cuts killing you too, huh?" Alvarez asks, attempting to make friendly small talk.

Now it is the strange man's turn to tilt his head, slightly confused by the statement. "How's that?"

"Your car," Alvarez explains, pointing out his license plate. "No government tags."

He turns, a small, dangerous smile on his face as he realises his mistake.

"Good catch. It's always the little things that getcha."

The police chief frowns. "What'd you say your name was again?"

There is a small click - barely noticeable - before Alvarez's loud screams pierce the cool night air.

"Malcolm Black," the man replies calmly, as if he hadn't just stabbed someone in the gut. He grins to himself, this slightly maniacal expression the last thing Alvarez sees before everything goes dark.

* * *

**A/N: **Honestly guys... I miss Revenge. It's been one of my favourite and most nail-biting shows to watch, not to mention how worked up I get when things go south for the characters I like. But it was fun while it lasted :')

I appreciate every single review, follow and favourite, just so you know. Reviews and me are like Emily and the sea; let me know what you think (｡◕ ∀ ◕｡)


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